Photography Contest

Global Ability Photography Challenge 2026

Deadline |
05/25/26Theme |
OpenTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
Photographers with disabilitiesEntry Fees |
FREEPrizes |
Cash PrizeHost |
Youth4Jobs & NotJustArtThe Global Ability Photography Challenge 2026 is the 5th edition of an inclusive international photo competition presented by Youth4Jobs and NotJustArt in partnership with Adani GreenXTalks.
Positioned by the organisers as India’s first and largest inclusive photo challenge, it is dedicated to photographers with disabilities and invites participants to submit images that bring their own perspectives and lived experiences into public view.
For 2026, the challenge does not set a fixed theme, but it encourages photographs that speak to inclusion, dignity, resilience, hope, and the everyday lives of persons with disabilities.
Entrants may submit up to three photographs, and the official guidance allows reasonable post-processing such as brightness, contrast, and colour correction as long as the image remains truthful to the original scene.
Files must be submitted as JPEGs in RGB colour mode, with a maximum of 2000 pixels on the longest side, a minimum file size of 4 MB, and no watermarks or identifying marks.
What makes this contest especially relevant is its clear social purpose alongside substantial visibility for selected work.
The organisers frame GAPC as a platform that expands representation and challenges limiting assumptions about disability through photography, while also connecting participants to exhibition, recognition, and wider public attention.
For photographers seeking a competition that combines creative expression with inclusion-focused impact, the 2026 edition offers a focused and meaningful opportunity.
Entry fee: Free entry; up to three photographs may be submitted per applicant.
Eligibility
Open to persons with disabilities worldwide, at any level of photography experience, submitting original photographs they solely authored.
Prize
The 2026 prize pool totals approximately $20,500 USD, with about $6,000 for first prize, $3,600 for second prize, $2,400 for third prize, and around $1,200 each for fourth through tenth place.
The top 10 winners will also receive specially designed trophies, the top 20 photographers will be featured in a special exhibition, an award ceremony is scheduled for June 24, 2026, travel and stay will be sponsored for selected Indian winners and one international winner, and all participants will receive certificates.
Positioned by the organisers as India’s first and largest inclusive photo challenge, it is dedicated to photographers with disabilities and invites participants to submit images that bring their own perspectives and lived experiences into public view.
For 2026, the challenge does not set a fixed theme, but it encourages photographs that speak to inclusion, dignity, resilience, hope, and the everyday lives of persons with disabilities.
Entrants may submit up to three photographs, and the official guidance allows reasonable post-processing such as brightness, contrast, and colour correction as long as the image remains truthful to the original scene.
Files must be submitted as JPEGs in RGB colour mode, with a maximum of 2000 pixels on the longest side, a minimum file size of 4 MB, and no watermarks or identifying marks.
What makes this contest especially relevant is its clear social purpose alongside substantial visibility for selected work.
The organisers frame GAPC as a platform that expands representation and challenges limiting assumptions about disability through photography, while also connecting participants to exhibition, recognition, and wider public attention.
For photographers seeking a competition that combines creative expression with inclusion-focused impact, the 2026 edition offers a focused and meaningful opportunity.
Entry fee: Free entry; up to three photographs may be submitted per applicant.
Eligibility
Open to persons with disabilities worldwide, at any level of photography experience, submitting original photographs they solely authored.
Prize
The 2026 prize pool totals approximately $20,500 USD, with about $6,000 for first prize, $3,600 for second prize, $2,400 for third prize, and around $1,200 each for fourth through tenth place.
The top 10 winners will also receive specially designed trophies, the top 20 photographers will be featured in a special exhibition, an award ceremony is scheduled for June 24, 2026, travel and stay will be sponsored for selected Indian winners and one international winner, and all participants will receive certificates.
Featured Photo Contest
AAP Magazine #57/Portrait
$1,000 cash prizes | Winning image(s) published in AAP Magazine #57 | Extensive press coverage and global recognition
© Aline Smithson
Best Photography Contests in 2025
Each year, there are hundreds of photography competitions all over the world, so we've decided to select for you the best of the best! Our selection of the best photo contests in 2025 is thoroughly curated to help you, whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur, to help find your next creative breakthrough. These all-star competitions offer the greatest opportunities for international exposure and/or incredible financial benefits. Some of them are closing soon, so get your photo submissions in!
ENDS 04/28/26
Our 57th printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme "Portrait".
ENDS 04/30/26
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 04/30/26
Gomma invites you to take part in this new adventure. Show us the limitless nuances of our world in monochrome.
ENDS 04/30/26
The IPA recognizes photography’s leading talents who are creating, shaping and defining the world of photography today.
ENDS 04/30/26
Tthe Inge Morath Award, a $7,500 grant given to a woman photographer under the age of 30 to support the completion of a long-term documentary project.
ENDS 05/03/26
Praxis Gallery seeks the submission of photographic art that explores the in-between moments of life and endeavors to notice the unnoticeable, the mundane, the banal and anti-climactic.
ENDS 05/04/26
For the tenth year running, the Société des Auteurs des Arts Visuels et de l’Image Fixe (SAIF) is funding the €8,000 prize to encourage the work of a photojournalist committed to long-term projects.
ENDS 05/07/26
The 2026 Virginia Prize, worth €10,000, will be awarded to its winner in November 2026.
ENDS 05/07/26
Present your work to exhibit at PhMuseum Days 2026, our International Photography Festival taking place on 1–4 October in Bologna, Italy.
ENDS 05/11/26
The Bibliothèque nationale de France will present the work of the Bourse du Talent winners alongside other prestigious photography awards as part of the exhibition La Photographie à tout Prix in December
ENDS 05/13/26
This prize, with a production budget of €25,000, is open to any new photographer or artist using photography, submitting a previously unpublished dummy book.
ENDS 05/17/26
MonoVisions Photography Awards are an international open call for photographers using black and white medium to express their visual language.
ENDS 05/19/26
Be Featured in our June 2026 Online Juried Solo Exhibition!
ENDS 05/19/26
The Grant is given in order to allow the winnerto carry out the photo-reportage which has been presented for the Grant.
ENDS 05/31/26
This season will feature five main categories, with ‘Family’ serving as the primary theme.
ENDS 06/01/26
The Lenscratch Student Prize has opened up a whole new line of connections, opportunities and exposure.
ENDS 06/03/26
BUDAPEST INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS is an international platform for photographers from all levels and genres to share their best images with the creative community in Hungary and Eastern Europe.
ENDS 06/15/26
Submit your best photographs now and get your chance to be one of the winners awarded in Siena!
ENDS 07/22/26
Submit your best work to our photo competition for a chance to win up to $11,500 in cash prizes, be selected by our curators for the PX3 exhibition in Paris and inclusion in the Annual PX3 book.